How to Use the Verb Manquer in French

The verb manquer in French is tricky for English speakers because its construction is often the reverse of what we expect in English. While it can mean to miss, its grammatical structure and usage vary depending on the meaning. Let’s break down its most common uses and clarify everything with examples.

1- Manquer à quelqu’un → To be missed by someone

1. Manquer à quelqu’un → To be missed by someone

This is the most confusing usage for English speakers. In French, the person who is missed becomes the subject, and the person who misses them is introduced with à.

Examples:

• Tu me manques.
  → I miss you. (Literally: You are missing to me.)

• Mes parents me manquent.
  → I miss my parents.

• Est-ce que je te manque ?
  → Do you miss me?

👉 Tip: In this structure, always ask: “Who is being missed?” → that’s the subject in French.

2- Manquer quelque chose → To miss something (like a train, an event, a chance)

In this case, manquer is a transitive verb, and works like in English: the subject is the one who misses something.

Examples:

• J’ai manqué le train.
  → I missed the train.

• Il a manqué son rendez-vous.
  → He missed his appointment.

• Elle a manqué une belle occasion.
  → She missed a great opportunity.

3- Manquer de + nom/verbe → To lack / To almost do something

This construction introduces other subtle meanings:

a) To lack something:

• Il manque de patience.
  → He lacks patience.

• Nous manquons de temps.
  → We’re lacking time.

b) Manquer de + infinitif = To nearly/almost do something:

• J’ai manqué de tomber.
  → I almost fell.

• Elle a manqué de se blesser.
  → She nearly hurt herself.

  Exercise 1 – Complete the sentences with the correct form of manquer

Use manquer à, manquer quelque chose, or manquer de + nom/verbe)

1. Mes amis __________ beaucoup depuis mon déménagement.

2. Il a __________ le début du film.

3. Tu me __________ !

4. Elle __________ de respect envers ses collègues.

5. Nous avons __________ le bus à deux minutes près.

6. J’ai tellement faim que je __________ d’énergie.

7. Tu ne trouves pas qu’il te __________ un peu de courage ?

8. Elle a __________ de tomber dans les escaliers.

9. Ses grands-parents lui __________ beaucoup.

10. Ils ont __________ leur vol pour New York.

✅ Correction – Exercise 1

1. me manquent → (I miss my friends.)

2. manqué → (He missed the beginning of the film.)

3. manques → (I miss you!)

4. manque → (She lacks respect.)

5. manqué → (We missed the bus by two minutes.)

6. manque → (I’m lacking energy.)

7. manque → (Don’t you think you lack a bit of courage?)

8. manqué → (She almost fell.)

9. manquent → (She misses her grandparents.)

10. manqué → (They missed their flight.)

🧠 Exercise 2 – Translate the sentences into French

1. I miss my dog.

2. We missed the concert.

3. She almost made a mistake.

4. He misses his old job.

5. They lack motivation.

✅ Correction – Exercise 2

1. Mon chien me manque.

2. Nous avons manqué le concert.

3. Elle a manqué de faire une erreur.

4. Son ancien travail lui manque.

5. Ils manquent de motivation.
   

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